Face the Light

Arc Lighting have carried out a study analysing different lighting approaches for mannequins in shop windows. "Face the light" looks at situations ranging from highly professional to incidental.

"Face the Light" analyses different lighting approaches for mannequins in shop windows. The situations range from highly professional to coincidental. The appearance of the face can be varied with light in various ways: Dramatic contrast of light and shadow with one accent spotlight, complementing the primary light with an additional spot to reduce contrast or diffuse light which results in less modelling. Grazing light reveals textures and details for the three-dimensional form. But it could also create harsh shadows on the eyes. Brightness contrasts with a light focus on the face and a darker background guides the viewer´s attention to the face.